Journeys of the Spiritual Kind
by MadAboutStories
Summary: The King is dead... And how did the late King feel about this?
1. Being With The Spirit

**A/N: I am still working on Saying Goodbye, don't worry. i just wrote this because I had time to spare. :D **

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Tired. So tired. But I've got to keep moving- climbing further and further up the impossibly steep incline. My legs are trembling with the effort but all that really registers in my numb mind is the last cry of my son that I heard before being dragged into that dreaded stampede yet again.

"Dad!" he had yelled, the sound piercing my ears more than the repetitive sound of frantic hooves. He had seemed so desperately terrified, and I worry if I had left him at a safe enough place.

I imagine one wildebeest, just one, slipping and crashing into the platform like rock, taking Simba down with it... the terrible thought nearly causes me to slip. My claws scratch viciously into the rock for I'm greatly aware that I am simply not allowed to fall. I _can't._

And now... nearly there... and I see him. My brother is here and my spirits rise briefly, before I lose my gripping and slip a few inches down.

"Scar!" I shout, gasping with the effort of hanging on. He does not respond- all he does is simply stare down at me with a look of... disdain? No. That's not true.

"Brother, help me!" I try, still clawing at the cliff.

There is a sinister pause and something tells me that a part of Scar has changed inside. I try figure this out but the unthinkable then happens.

Scar lunges forward and digs his claws brutally into my paws. I roar in agony, the tears of pain not showing because my face is frozen in shock. My brother's green eyes gaze into mine with such ferocity that it's unnerving.

Suddenly, I know. I can see it in his face, etched into it so boldly, now. My brother doesn't love me... he _hates _me.

He pulls me close and I feel his dark mane brushing against mine. "Long live the _King!_" he whispers chillingly and my eyes widen. He cannot mean what I think he does...

And he releases his grip abruptly and I'm falling- and I can't do _anything!_

I scream as I see the cliff hurtling into the distance and I hear a cub scream above my own: "NO!!!" It's Simba, I know it is! _He's alive _is the last thing I think before an unbearable pain cuts into my whole body. My head feels close to bursting with it and for a moment I think it will and then-

Nothing. Emptiness. I can't see or hear or _feel_ in the threatening darkness...

***

I'm awake but I don't know what to do. Too pathetic to open my eyes for I'm scared of what I'll see if I do. Yet, I cannot hide from this, I realize.

My eyelids flutter open and my jaw drops. I'm _out_of the stampede, in a large hole at the base of the cliff. I can hear the wildebeest outside but they're out of my line of vision.

And I sense something watching me. My skin prickles uncomfortably. I turn and see... what the hell _do _I see?!

Dark eyes, almost black, stare at me. There's one problem: they don't belong to a lion. The creature doesn't have any fur at all, the skin pale like the moon. And it only has two legs... it stands upright on them. No mane covers it's head. Instead, chestnut brown hair flows down its back, tumbling like a wave. Some unknown white material covers its body.

"Don't be afraid," it speaks with ruby red lips. It sounds like the voice of a female, I've never seen anything like her in the Pridelands.

She looks at me expectantly and I realize I haven't replied. My throat is dry in uncertainty. I mean to say "Who are you?" but it comes out as: "What _are_ you?"

The creature looks down at herself with some irony, then glances at me. "I'm a girl," she points at herself. "And you are a lion."

A hint of frustration enters me. Who does this girl think she is? "And _why _have you taken me here?"

Her mouth forms a comical "Oh" shape. "Don't you..." she says slowly. She breathes deeply, as if preparing herself for some difficult act. "You're dead."

I tense but after a moment relax, I don't trust her. "No, I'm not," I say firmly, blocking out the possibility with defiance.

The girl shrugs. "Think what you will but I know the truth."

There's an awkward silence as I consider this and take in her unusual appearance. She notices and I look down, slightly embarrassed. "I've never seen anything like you before," I explain. "You're a bit... different."

She smiles knowingly. "We're more alike than you believe. We feel emotions like you do, too." Moving closer, she says, "And we look alike in some ways."

I can't help myself from snorting but she lifts my paw up carefully and places something like Rafiki's hand onto the palm, expect it is smoother and whiter. It feels pleasantly cool to the touch.

"See?" she tells me. "Your paw- my hand."

I lower my paw, sort of understanding. I think, anyway.

"I'm not doing my job, here. It's difficult... I've never been sent to a _lion_ before." Her voice trails off and I dig my claws into the rock because I'm suddenly scared again. What if what she says is true?! But I _can't _be dead. My _family..._

The girl seems to be thinking hard, frown lines appearing on her face. Finally, she says briskly, "Ok, understand that this is just as hard for me as it is for you. _Please_ accept that you're dead."

I shake my head, backing away, panic rising in my chest. "No, no. I'm not," I say quickly, hoping that if I keep on saying it, it'll be true.

She sighs sadly. "I didn't want to do this." She touches my shoulder, there's a whirl of colour and-

The gorge; I'm in the gorge. A snapped tree lies before me, I know it's the one that Simba clung onto such a short time ago. And underneath it-

"_No." _I utter, looking away. The word was meant to come across as intimidating but it comes out like the feeble whimper of a new born cub.

That's _me _lying there, me! My legs are sprawled out at an odd angle, my mane sticking up, fly away. But it kind of comforts me that I look like I'm merely sleeping, nothing more.

The girl is watching me but before I can shout or cry, I hear something cough in the dust. I squint my eyes and see _him _in the distance. I almost sob in relief that he's safe but I also want to run and take him away from this horrible place. Someone let me take him _home._

My son, my little _son._

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**IMPORTANT:- The girl is just a spiritual person, nothing more. And she's in her mid teens. ;)**

**So, what do you think? This is something completely different to what I usually do. I wrote in the present tense just for a change, I guess. :)**

**I'll be back on here in 2010. A Merry Christmas to everyone!**


	2. Watching It All

"Dad!" Simba yells, still in the distance.

I look down in horror at my body- hoping against hope that he doesn't discover it. The strange girl regards the scene with sorrow but she doesn't make a sound. My son is moving dangerously close to the broken tree and I turn to the creature in desperation:

"Please, help me!"

She falters. "I'm sorry but I c-can't," comes the weak, confused stammer, her dark eyes flitting from me to Simba.

There is a noise that stops both of us from resonding; an animal running. I grimace as the cub is now close enough for me to see his expressions. His ears prick up hopefully. "Dad?" he calls, much quietly than before.

A panicked wildebeest emerges from the thick fog of dust. I jump at its unexpected appearance and when I do, Simba looks. And looks. His eyes grow wide, showing fear, shock. I feel so... _useless._

I exhale painfully, turning to the girl once more. "He _can't _see me like this!" I groan loudly, "I beg you, do something, _anything!_" My voice grows unusually high pitched in hysteria.

It maddens me that even though she seems to have some form of sympathy for the situation, she still is so _calm!_ "I told you, I'm not allowed to interfere!" she persists, raising her hands to shoulder height.

"He doesn't deserve this," I argue. Simba draws ever closer, head bent sadly.

My son's actions stop me from continuing. When he reaches what appears to be me, he is apprehensive but not deterred. "Dad?" he asks yet again, still thinking that I'm going to amazingly awake with no harm done to me at all. Oh, I wish I could. So much it hurts.

"Dad, come on. You've got to get up," he says, nuzzling my head. It flops back to its original position in a pathetic way. "Dad!" Simba goes on, voice catching slightly. "We've got to go home." He pushes on the body with his tiny paws. Yes, we've got to go home. Can no-one hear him? We've got to go home! Now!

He tugs on my ear and it's almost too much to bear. That's what he used to do to get me up whenever I was tired. It won't work now, son. I'm so sorry.

I glare at the girl. "How can you stand by and _watch_?" I say to her, disgusted.

Her eyes lock with mine, as if she's pleading with me to understand. "I can't, believe me," she says slowly. "But I have to."

Simba scans the area, willing for there to be an answer. And he runs. "HELP!" he shouts. I've never seen him so frightened and I'm powerless to do anything for him. "Somebody!" my son says, his stricken voice echoing off the gorge walls. "Anybody..." He sniffs and I see that he knows the truth. "H-help," he says softly, starting to cry. The tears flow, never ceasing. And my heart breaks.

My eyes are stinging. Simba, who is usually so full of life, trudges towards me. At first, I don't know what his intentions are but then it becomes clear. He gently nudges my still out stretched paw and buries himself underneath it. It looks just like- like I'm _embracing_ him. I can't hide my emotions any longer.

I think the girl doesn't notice yet I turn my head away, to make sure. But the tell tale droplets of moisture fall upon the dry ground and she sees.

She covers her mouth with a trembling hand. "Oh..." She seems unsure of what to do. For I'm a lion, she's a girl. We are different, no matter what she's told me.

I blink rapidly but it does not help as I watch my son bury his head in my dusty mane. "He's j-just a _cub_," I whisper, voice cracking. If I hadn't died, this wouldn't be happening. My son wouldn't be going through this. My fault... all my fault!

I close my eyes, silently sobbing. I do not expect her to do what she does next. I feel her hands steadying my violently shaking shoulders. "There now," she says soothingly. "It's alright."

But it's not! Stop pretending! I want to shout. Everything is _far_ from fine. Yet, her words calm me a little and I gradually realise that I've stopped shaking. The girl releases her light grip on me and smiles. I'm not able to speak but I give a small smile back and nod. She seems to know it's my way of saying thank you. And I hear the padding of paws entering this place. Turning, I see the lion. The lion who killed me. The lion who I call brother.

Scar slinks expertly towards the unsuspecting Simba, so that he does not hear his entrance. His face is deprived of all emotion- does he _have_ a conscience?! Then a horrible thought enters my mind: will he harm my son?!

"What's on your mind? You look troubled."

The girl doesn't know. How can you explain so much in so little time? Well, time to find out.

"See that lion over there?" I begin. "He... he killed me. I'm scared he's going to... he'll hurt my son."

"The cub?"

"No, the tree. What do you think?"

She doesn't seem angered by my remark, on the contrary, she briefly flashes a grin. "I may be unusual to you, that doesn't make me stupid. Anyway..." She becomes serious. "Who's the lion who killed you?"

The question would have come sooner or later. I'd rather hoped it would have been later. "He's my brother, Scar," I say shortly.

Her gasp is loud but Scar starts to speak, gladly forcing her to drop the awkward subject. "Simba..." he utters darkly, "What have you done?"

Simba starts and almost jumps free from his position, whirling round to face his uncle. "Th-there were wildebeests and he t-tried to save me," he stammers through his tears. I long to wrap a comforting paw around him. "It was an accident, I- I didn't mean for it to happen," he beseeches, sobbing harder.

"Of course, of _course _you didn't," Scar replies in such a sickening oily tone of voice, it causes me to grind my teeth in anger. My brother pulls Simba away from the still portrayal of me with one paw. The cub hides his face from the world. Scar's emerald eyes gleam as if he's weaving another web, another plot.

"But the King_ is_ dead," he continues, contrastingly more harshly. "And if it weren't for _you_ he's still be alive..."

The blind shock of how evil the last sentence Scar says prevents me from speaking. The girl stares, looking just as petrified as I feel. Simba looks at my brother and he _believes _him. No, son, no! None of this happened because of you!

"Oh! What will your mother think?" the lion adds.

The words are like thorns digging into my body, spiting me, mocking me. "LIES!" I scream, surprising myself at the sheer volume of my voice. "LIES!"

No-one but the girl can hear. All the cub can see is Scar. "What am I going to do?" he asks, terrified.

"Run away, Simba, run," he tells him, completely dropping the sweet uncle appearance.

"Why brother?!" I shout, throat raw. I want him to listen, to hear the words. Feel regret, Scar, guilt, at least feel_ something!_ I thought we were brothers; do you not care for me at all? For I cared for you.

"Run away and never return."

Simba pauses, giving my body one last look. Look at _me, _Simba; the _real_ me. Please.

But he runs. The poor cub runs. I can't imagine how he must feel. The realization strikes me like an unforgiving blow. He truly thinks he's responsible for my death. Oh, Simba.

Out of the semi darkness, three hyenas loom menacingly into view. I frown at them. And Scar says the words. The words that can never be taken back: "Kill him."

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**A/N: Hmm, even I'm not sure where this is going. :D That's what I like about this fanfic. lol. And Saying Goodbye is still getting written- I thought I'd put this up since I'd finished it. So, please review people, tell me what you think! Happy New Year!**


	3. Breaking The Rule

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, everyone! :) Writer's block is such a pain...lol. Anyway, happy reading! :D**

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I open my mouth to yell in furious protest but the words of hate stick in my throat with shock. The hyenas lunge forwards, teeth bared. They run past me, heading for Simba- hunting him down with every malicious step. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping against hope that this is all a dream, that I'll wake up, safe in Pride Rock. Sarabi will be sleeping by my side and, like always, my son will nudge me, willing me to show him the Kingdom once more. He probably already knows every rock and every tree in the Pridelands but I don't mind...

The setting doesn't change. This is either cruel reality I'm dealing with or a sickeningly realistic nightmare. But, Scar throwing me off the cliff is real, my death is real and... Simba's tears are real: Simba! The name abruptly brings me back to my senses. What chance does a lion cub face against three, fully grown hyenas?!

Without saying anything, I turn and run in the direction of the hyena's persuit. "Don't!" I hear the girl shout behind me but I blatantly ignore her. I can't afford to waste any of the precious time remaining. I skid to a halt when I see intimidating walls of stone towering above me, stopping me from going to where it really matters. I vaguely notice a narrow gap in the rock; just wide enough for a lion cub and possibly a rather thin hyena to squeeze through.

Suddenly, the girl appears in front of me, as rapidly as a bolt of lightening. I go to speak, but she holds up a pale hand to stop me. "Before we continue, tell me one thing- honestly," she states slowly and seriously. "Do you love your son?" Her dark eyes bore into mine. She acts like it's the most difficult question in the world. But, it's not. It's the easiest question I can answer.

"Yes," I reply instantly. My voice sounds strangely constricted for the truth enters into my mind sharply; no matter how much I love Simba, I can't help him. I'm _dead._

She bows her head. "Thank you," is all she says, reaching forward to give me a light tap on the shoulder. Some unknown force pulls us through a whirl of colour and sound, yet again. Blurred landscapes flit past my eyes until- On top of a cliff, Simba sprints ahead. The hyenas are gaining on him, barely an inch behind him. The cub digs his claws into the rock to stop himself; he has reached the very edge of the cliff. Below, a gnarled collection of dangerous looking thorns guard the path to safety. Simba looks wildly round, gasping the same time as I do when we both see the hyenas charging on. The female, who's in front, opens her mouth menacingly, her dagger looking teeth sharper than the thorns on the earth. I freeze. _No._ She's going to-

"Simba!" I cry, and go to throw myself in front of him (knowing it will do no good anyway) but someone beats me to it. "Stop!" the girl yells above me, jumping to the middle of the scene.

And something unexplainable happens. I don't feel as if anything changes but all me other senses tell me that something undeniably has. Simba has frozen in his last position, petrified eyes glassy. The same goes for the hyenas but the female's stance makes me shudder. With almost crazy, savage eyes, her jaw is wide open, ready to clamp down on- Feeling a little sick, I realize that in one more second, my son would be... But he's not, I remind myself. He's not.

Extremely shallow breathing drums into my ears. The girl's arms are outstretched between the hyenas and Simba. Her face is twisted, either in pain or concentration. "What are you-" I whisper but she shakes her head viciously, turning even paler than when I first encountered her.

"Let...me- think!" she gasps painfully. I obey, still not believing my eyes. Slowly, she lowers the arm nearest to my son. Simba jolts back into movement. He doesn't seem to notice that the animals who've been chasing him are completely still. Before I even blink, he jumps off the cliff. I quickly peer over the edge and see him scrambling out of the large thicket. A silent sigh expresses my relief. At least he's safe. However, a voice at the back of my mind, tells my reluctantly that even though Simba is unharmed, he is not where he should be right now. Not in the slightest. He should be with Sarabi... Sarabi. The name awakens many happy memories, tainted with sadness because of the past circumstances. She'd know what to do...

I suddenly absolutely hate myself. All because of my stupidity, I've deserted my family and my Pride. My mouth becomes dry with foreboding- obviously Scar will be the new King. That's something no-one can alter. But if my brother has the sheer nerve and soul to destroy an innocent cub's life, who knows what act he will commit now?! I return to the present when I hear the girl exhale calmly. The hyenas are still... well, frozen. With one swift movement of her arm, though, that changes. They snap into life immediately but soon try to stop when they see the edge of the cliff. A male hyena loses his balance and falls into the jagged plant. The other hyenas laugh hysterically. I feel a smile creeping onto my mouth but it soon disappears when I know what I'm doing. After _everything_ today, I still feel an urge to _laugh?!_ What's wrong with me?!

The unlucky hyena clambers back to the rock, wincing. As the other male hyena still sniggers uncontrollably, the female's eyes widen for a minute. "Hey- there he goes, _there _he goes!" she shouts. I start and turn to the horizon. I can just see the shadow of a small lion cub, running into the sunset. A twinge of unbearable guilt grasps hold of me. My son is _alone_, he has no-one to care for him. I want to run after him, plead with him to come home. I know that's not possible anymore. And, if I could, what Scar would do is unthinkable.

"So, go get 'im!" comes a surly reply, the hyena beginning to pull thorns out of his skin.

"There ain't no way I'm going in there!" the female retorts firmly. "What, you want me to come out there looking like _you?_ Cactus Butt?!"

No more conversation sounds, the hyena's mouth is filled with spikes. The other male, who looks on with an over exaggerated, amused look makes me, again, want to laugh. What?! I start to scream at myself inwardly. Your family are suffering...terribly and _you_, you almost laugh?! The voice of truth continues: You're a rubbish King, a rubbish mate, a rubbish father...oh. Something clicks within my brain. I've not been he best brother in the world, either. And that's the biggest lie I've come across. I've seen Scar become angry, jealous, twisted, corrupted with spite. I saw him drift further and further away from me; in both mind and body. What did I do? I just watched, I let it happen. Simply because it was easier than making a fuss about him. Coward, I feel like spitting at myself. Why did I let it get this bad?! I could've stopped this. Isn't that what brothers are meant to do? Help each other when one starts to get isolated? Hmm, great job, Mufasa...I'm sorry, Scar. But he can't hear me. I've let it become too late to tell him. Good for me.

A small, high-pitched yelp alerts me to pay attention. The slightly injured hyena has spat the thorns into the comical looking one's face. "But, we've got to finish the job," he says plainly, adressing the female.

She seems to ponder this point briefly but states cruelly, "Well, he's as good as dead out there, anyway." I wince, as if I've been pushed into the thicket, too. The cold truth hurts. Sure, Simba's managed to escape fierce predators- with a little help. Speaking of that, I look around quickly for the girl seems to be nowhere in sight. Something inside my heart pangs uncomfortably. Am I truly alone now, like my son?

"...And _if _he comes back, we'll kill him," she finishes harshly. My lip curls into a snarl. No, you won't, I want to be able to tell them.

The male hyena nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! You hear that?!" he shouts to, what looks like the universe. I know who it's really directed at. And I imagine him hearing it, gasping, trying to urge himself onwards. He must be absolutely terrified. What is said next will not help the cub in the slightest: "If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!" The last two, ominous words echo for what seems like a lifetime. Hyenas' laughter then pierces the air, the sound digging into my ears like an unforgiving lion's claws. The group leave, which gives me more time to concentrate on where the mysterious girl is. Being without her feels a bit strange, somehow. I was just getting used to her, I think, smirking a little. I turn and almost chuckle at the timing of the entrance.

She looks worried, running her fingers through her long hair absentmindedly. "I wasn't meant to do that," she says quietly, seeming to be talking more to herself. "It's the one rule they give you and I break it." She laughs uncertainly at her own disobedience. "Whatever you do, remember this: You must not, in any way, interfere. Never change the future." It sounds like an ancient poem or law she's reciting. The girl groans, massaging her temples with her delicate fingertips. "They're really angry," she half sighs.

I think it's best not to ask who "they" are. Everything else this person has done or said is complicated enough. "Why did you... break the rule, then?" I ask slowly. "It's not that I'm not grateful, though!" I add in a rushed tone, suddenly afraid that she'll undo everything. Simba's now got a glimmer of hope for survival thanks to this girl- I can't watch it be destroyed. "I'm just wondering, why?"

Her expression looks thoughtful, but it soon changes to a more solemn appearance. "Wait here," is all I get for an explanation. Then, not with a blinding flash of light, not with any extrordianary sound, she disappears. Again. These events don't seem to startle me anymore. If anything, they seem almost...normal. Either that, or I'm going mad. I sink down to the ground, quite glad of this unexpected, somewhat "calm" period of this experience. Doing as I'm told, I wait.

It's not long before I hear something- the girl's voice, pleading. But, it sounds as if she's very far away, her voice is so difficult to hear. No matter how much I strain my ears to listen, the volume doesn't get any better. Frustrated, I contend with what I've got and stay silent.

"I'm sorry...yes, I know it was wrong..." Her voice is incredibly smooth, like a large river. This soon isn't the case. "No! You can't!" My muscles tense. Is something harming her? "You can't do that to him!" she nearly sobs. I can't _stand_ this. Waiting and waiting and not having a flipping clue what everyone else is on about.

There is a dreadful pause. "...I know. But he's different," she whispers. "Please, try to understand... his family and..." I've also found out I hate only being able to hear a small part of a conversation.

"Let me help him," the girl says, with impressive power.

And, she's here again. Her face is much more relaxed and she seems quite satisfied with herself. "Your son is safe," she tells me, flashing a grin and pracitcally skipping past me.

It takes me a moment or two to recover from what she's said and her dramatic shift in mood. "What do you mean?"

The grin is still on her lips, seeming like it plans to stay there. "I mean exactly what I said. Come on, let's see what else your life is going to fling at me. You're truly one of the most dramatic cases I've seen in years."

I find myself grinning too, though wishing her new emotion wasn't so insaningly infectious. "You're a riddle, you know that?" I say incredulously. I follow her as she runs forward, anywhere she leads me must be better than what we've just left behind...yeah, right.

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**There we go, another chapter done and dusted. Once again, please review! I need to know what you all think about this. :) Thanks again!**

**Edit:- "I suddenly absolutely hate himself." Yeah, Mufasa. :P Corrected now. :D**


	4. A Difficult Climb

**A/N: **Woah...it's been a while for this story, hasn't it? ;) Sorry for the long wait, I got sidetracked with other one-shots and the beginnings of a (hopefully) large multi-chapter story. I feel bad for neglecting this one, so here's it dose of TLC. ;) Hope you enjoy!

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Our footsteps echo eerily as she glides effortlessly through the vastness of space that is the gorge. I watch her legs in amazement for I'm sure that her feet hardly ever seem to even kiss the ground lightly when she's running. I soon have to forget about this and focus on keeping up with her, which is a different experience entirely. In my life, I became so used to glancing over my shoulder at everyone. I was always...in the lead? I can't believe how shockingly arrogant the thought is. Was I fit to be King in the first place?

I don't notice passing the tree- or me, for that matter. The shapes of rock blur in front of my eyes as each stride we take becomes increasingly longer and faster. I smile slightly, as I wonder what would happen if creatures could actually witness this sight. A girl and a lion, sprinting to their destination.

She slows to a stop as she reaches a high ledge of stone. I see her realise the only way to go forward is to go _up._ She pauses as she thinks, then faces me. "Er, can you give me a leg up?"

I frown at the strange phrase. "What do you mean?" I question curiously, surveying the cliff cautiously.

"You know... can I climb on your back so I can reach the ledge?"

I raise my eyebrows. After everything she's done, it feels so odd for a realistic question to pass her lips. "What, can you not just _fly_ up there?" I scoff, comprehension dawning in my eyes as an unsettling though flits into my mind: This may be the same cliff that I tried to climb- was it really today? My death seems such a long time ago, as if endless years have passed until this moment arrived. Now, _that_ is strange to say; my _death_. How can I be dead when I still feel so..._alive? _Every mere breath of air I take feels so real, I am breathing, my heart is beating- so why am I dead?

But I know why. I died because I was blind. The only thing I could see was that everything was fine, everything was perfect. I was too stupid to look further than that and see someone who was right in front of my face spiralling out of control. Now, I remember the warning this lion gave me. He gave me my last chance for survival and I didn't recognise it as that until it was too late. "Oh, no, Mufasa. Perhaps _you_ shouldn't turn your back on _me._"

The simple sentence was perhaps a cry of alert for me. I slowly understand that Scar was pleading with me and behind the cruel irony and the crushing blows of sarcasm was something compassionate, something kind, something that proved he cared, even if only for one moment. In our final confrontation, he had told me plainly in those words of his that I had a choice- to notice him and live. Or to forget and to perish. I suddenly want to turn and run back to where this all began- to run straight back into he past and to let my brother into my life. To end all this. To let my mate live in happiness. To let my son live in the very place he was born.

The girl can't see the realisation burning within me. She only replies with: "After all I've done, to do something like that would be pushing it a bit, don't you think?"

I blink slowly after being pulled out of my past life and watch her standing there, now looking determined yet reserved. If there is such a thing. There is a period of quiet, until she prompts me. "Well...?"

"Well, what?"

"Do you want to get to your pride or not?"

There is a nerve racking jolt in my stomach as the question is asked. "You're taking me to them?" I whisper softly, stepping forward. Then: "How do you know about prides?" I feel like rolling my eyes at my _unimportant_ query- after all that has happened, I still want to know the insignificant little details.

To my surprise, she appears startled and unsure at the question. "I...honestly don't know...I think-"

"Yes?"

She doesn't go on. Which answers nothing. So, I crouch down, shuffling closer to the cliff, allowing her to climb onto me more easily. She does, but I don't feel the expected weight of her body on my shoulders; it's as if nothing's there. _Is_ she here, at all?

And suddenly, a distant voice reaches me, making me look up. The girl is peering over the edge of the cliff- she's reached _the top_ already. I'm sure I hear a slight giggle as I'm bound to have a dumbfounded look on my face. She holds up a slim hand and waves.

I take this as my cue to stop standing there like a complete idiot and begin to climb. My claws don't seem to be functioning properly; they fell wrong and stiff and awkward. It takes a momentous effort to even rise a few inches above the ground. And my chest becomes tight- I feel like I'm drowning in my own breaths of air. Climbing the cliff with an almost army like stampede of wildebeest raging below me was difficult enough, why is this even more complicated?

Oh, but the reason is inside me, churning like a poison flowing through my blood. Wait...do I have blood if I'm dead? No, no...climb, just climb...

Each scraping of my claws on the rock sounds unnaturally loud, my ears are throbbing with the noise. I'm going to fall. I'm going to fall again. I'm going to die. No...I'm dead...no, I'm alive! I am a living lion! I can talk and think and feel and see and hear and touch and love; I'm _alive!_

And during this conflict, I almost reach the top, the girl leaning over the edge cautiously. But, in my mind, I don't see her at all. Instead, a dark maned lion leers down at me, eyes flashing with incontrollable, life threatening resentment. I open my mouth but the scream that was coming is lost, my mouth is dry, my body frozen. Then my paws start to sting like a fierce burning fire, the old wound Scar inflicted on me feeling so fresh, so real-

The lion's lips part to speak and I'm unable to say a word.

Then, my brother vanishes and I see the girl again, who is stretching herself over to me, her arm edging closer and closer to my mane. "You're not going to fall," she tells my loudly, like she can read my own thoughts; my own emotions. I let her grab a fistful of my mane which she pulls on, and I start to move again, climbing further and further away from the canyon floor.

And through this all, her soft voice repeats over and over again: "You're not going to fall.

...I won't let you fall."

* * *

**A/N: **I apologise for not much really happening in this chapter- the more "exciting bits" will emerge eventually, I hope. :)

**IMPORTANT**: But, I still feel this was quite a significant chapter, in terms of Mufasa's whole kind of "arguement" with himself. ;) Please let me know what you think about this installment! Hopefully I won't take as long as this to update!

And thanks for all the reviews so far, they've been very helpful. :)


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